Trump's L.A. Marines Zip-Tie Veteran in First Ever Detention
After being shown images of the detention, the military confirmed to Reuters that Marines did detain the civilian, one Marcos Leao, a 27-year-old of Angolan and Portuguese descent, who obtained U.S. citizenship through military service.
The images show Marines detaining Leao, restraining him with zip ties, and handing him over to the Department of Homeland Security. The military's Northern Command spokesperson told Reuters that members of the military 'may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances.'
'Any temporary detention ends immediately when the individual(s) can be safely transferred to the custody of appropriate civilian law enforcement personnel,' the spokesperson added.
Following his release, Leao explained that he was on his way to an office at the Department of Veterans Affairs when he crossed a boundary established by some yellow tape and was asked to stop. He also told reporters that he had been treated fairly, saying of the Marines, 'They're just doing their job.'
The Marines took over guard duty outside the Wilshire Federal Building in Sawtelle on Friday afternoon. In addition to Veterans Affairs, the 17-story building houses offices for the FBI and a federal passport agency. The building is where California Senator Alex Padilla was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed during a DHS news conference on Thursday.
Approximately 700 Marines were activated earlier this week to deploy to L.A. alongside more than 2,000 National Guardsmen by Trump and tasked with protecting federal property and personnel during ongoing anti-ICE protests in the city, including by accompanying ICE agents on raids.
The soldiers deployed in L.A. are authorized to detain people they believe pose a threat to federal personnel or property, but only long enough for police to arrest them, as they are not able to perform arrests themselves. Under normal circumstances, the U.S. military is not permitted to take part in civilian law enforcement. As Reuters notes, the last time the military was used in this way was in response to the 1992 protests in Los Angeles following the acquittal of police officers who beat Rodney King.
The presence of soldiers at federal buildings in Los Angeles comes ahead of a nationwide day of protests planned for Saturday, dubbed the 'No Kings' protests, and after days of protests against immigration raids across the city. Los Angeles is home to more than 4 million immigrants.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
50 Cent Gloats As Trump Nixes Pardon For 'Half-Innocent' Diddy, For Now
Donald Trump believes Sean 'Diddy' Combs is 'half-innocent' out of his sex-trafficking trial, but there will be no presidential pardon right now for the much-accused Grammy winner. And, just two days after Deadline exclusively reported that Trump was 'seriously considering' such a pardon and the White House played its cards close to the chest, Friday's no pardon stance makes Diddy foe 50 Cent very happy indeed. More from Deadline Sydney Sweeney American Eagle Ad Addressed By Clothing Company Amidst Partisan Uproar In Reaction To Dismal Jobs Report, Donald Trump Says He's Ordered Commissioner Of Labor Statistics To Be Fired Corporation For Public Broadcasting To Shut Down Operations After Loss Of Federal Funding 'Can you believe he thought he was getting pardoned,' the Power franchise EP and pro-Trump rapper posted on social media with an AI generated image late Friday after a still grievance fueled POTUS told Newsmax he wasn't inclined to grant Combs a get outta jail card. 'No Sir, you are not. You said very nasty things.' Yet, Trump being Trump, it could all change on a dime. Sticking it to federal prosecutors sweeping case, the eight-men and four-women jury just found Combs guilty of lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution on July 2. Though the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York now want self-declared swinger and domestic violence perpetrator Combs to continued to be denied getting out on a $50 million bond and be sentenced to several years behind bars on October 2, the reality is the not guilty decision on the harsh sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges was a serious blow for now fired lead prosecutor Maurene Comey and her team. Part of Trump's public and behind closed door dalliance with a Combs pardon is to stick a knife in the family of ex-FBI Director James Comey. The president also wants to punish what he views as an overreaching and too independent SDNY, sources tell me. Earlier Friday, months after Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson promised he would try to talk Trump out of any Combs pardon, the 'In Da Club' rapper posted a clip from the former Celebrity Apprentice host's sit-down with the fledgling conservative cable newswer where Trump agreed with reporter Rob Finnerty that any pardon for Diddy would 'more likely be a no.' Amidst a clemency campaign from Combs loyalists to the White House and those close to the transactional POTUS and Trump being Trump, the pardon 'no' tonight was qualified. Right after a discussion about a pardon for Jeffrey Epstein's newly cooperative confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, Finnerty asked: 'Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Would you consider pardoning him?' To which, a typically self-centered Trump replied: 'Well, he was essentially, I guess, sort of half innocent. Probably— I was very friendly with him but when I ran for office he was very hostile and it's hard. So, I don't know, it's more difficult.' Espousing ignorance one moment and then intimate knowledge the next about both Maxwell and Combs, Trump was just slightly less inclined towards the latter back in May when he was when asked about a pardon for the now convicted Bad Boy Records founder. 'I would certainly look at the facts if I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don't like me,' Trump said on May 30 in the Oval Office just a couple of weeks after Combs' eventually eight-week long and often horrifically depraved trial began. Since our story on Combs receiving a possible pardon, MAGA media standard-bearers such as Megyn Kelly have pleaded Trump not to give the one-time mogul a pass. 'MAGA is already upset over elites seeming to cover for each other,' the ex-Fox News host said on July 30. 'This would not help. GOP struggling (with) young female voters, most of whom will hate a Diddy pardon,' Kelly exclaimed in a pretty convincing argument that also served as a warning shot to the transactional and media thin skinned Trump Staring at a maximum of 20 years for the prostitution charges he was found guilty of, Combs remains at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. Diddy has been at the often criticized facility since his arrest last September in a NYC hotel. Trying to quell a MAGA uprising over the withholding of the promised files on the vile Epstein, who died in custody in 2019, Trump has been letting loose even more of a barrage of distractions that usual to direct attention away from his well-known relationship with convicted and well-connected sex offender Epstein and what the files may say about him. To that, just days after being granted immunity in a two-day conversation with a top DOJ official, the 20-year sentenced Maxwell was suddenly moved out of federal prison in Florida to a low-security prison camp in Texas. Maxwell, Combs …nothing to see here. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US president Donald Trump sacks jobs data chief after dismal employment report
US President Donald Trump on Friday fired the head of the government agency in charge of monthly jobs data after a report showed hiring slowed in July and was much weaker in May and June than previously reported. In a post on his social media platform, Trump alleged that the figures by the Bureau of Labor Statistics were manipulated for political reasons, saying Erika McEntarfer, the director of the agency who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, should be fired. 'I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,' Trump said on Truth Social. 'She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.' The US leader later posted: 'In my opinion, today's Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.' While Trump provided no evidence, the charge that the data was faked was seen as an explosive reaction that threatens to undercut the political legitimacy of the US government's economic data. For decades, Wall Street investors and economists have mostly believed the data to be free from political bias. McEntarfer's removal condemned After Trump's initial post, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said on X that McEntarfer was no longer leading the bureau and that William Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, would serve as the acting director. 'I support the President's decision to replace Biden's Commissioner and ensure the American People can trust the important and influential data coming from BLS,' Chavez-DeRemer said. But condemnation soon followed. A group that included two former BLS commissioners, including William Beach, who was appointed by Trump to the position, berated McEntarfer's firing. They particularly objected to the charge that the data was altered for political reasons. 'This rationale for firing Dr. McEntarfer is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics that are a cornerstone of intelligent economic decision-making by businesses, families, and policymakers,' the statement from the group, the Friends of BLS, said. Beach and former President Barack Obama's BLS commissioner, Erica Groshen, signed the letter. 'Firing the Commissioner ... when the BLS revises jobs numbers down (as it routinely does) threatens to destroy trust in core American institutions and all government statistics,' Arin Dube, an economist at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, said on X. 'I can't stress how damaging this is.' Report shows 73,000 jobs were added in July Friday's jobs report showed that just 73,000 jobs were added last month and that 258,000 fewer jobs were created in May and June than previously estimated. The report indicated that the US economy has weakened significantly under Trump, following a slowdown in economic growth in the first half of the year and a spike in inflation in June, which appeared to be a result of the pressure on prices brought on by the president's tariffs. 'No one can be that wrong? We need accurate job numbers,' Trump wrote. 'She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate; they can't be manipulated for political purposes.' Related Fed's Powell leaves interest rates unchanged despite Trump demands Trump administration partners with Big Tech to launch health data tracking programme Trump has not always been so suspicious of the monthly jobs report and responded enthusiastically after the initial May figures came out on 6 June, when it was initially reported that the economy added 139,000 jobs. 'GREAT JOB NUMBERS, STOCK MARKET UP BIG!' Trump posted at the time. That estimate was later revised down to 125,000 jobs, and then further revised to just 19,000.
CNN
6 minutes ago
- CNN
California man arrested for allegedly sending money to ISIS
National security Terrorism Federal agenciesFacebookTweetLink Follow The FBI arrested on Friday a man in Long Beach, California, for allegedly sending money to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to the Department of Justice. Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, 28, a permanent US resident originally from the Philippines, faces up to 20 years in federal prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, the Justice Department said in a statement. Investigators said Villanueva was in communication with two individuals who identified themselves as ISIS fighters via social media earlier this year. In those messages, Villanueva allegedly expressed his desire to support ISIS and offered to send money to aid the group's activities. 'It's an honor to fight and die for our faith. It's the best way to go to heaven.' Villanueva allegedly wrote to the ISIS fighters. 'Someday soon, I'll be joining.' Over a five-month period, Villanueva sent 12 payments totaling $1,615 to two intermediaries who accessed the money overseas, according to Western Union records cited by the DOJ. During his arrest, the FBI recovered what appeared to be a bomb from his bedroom, according to photos posted on the FBI's Facebook and X accounts. 'Mr. Villanueva is alleged to have financially supported and pledged his allegiance to a terror group that targets the United States and our interests around the world,' said Patrick Grandy, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. Earlier this year, a 19-year-old former member of the Michigan Army National Guard was arrested after he allegedly attempted to carry out a plan to conduct a mass shooting at a US military base in Michigan on behalf of ISIS. Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said was arrested on the scheduled day of the attack, after he visited an area near the military base and launched a drone in support of the attack plan, according to the Justice Department. He allegedly planned to attack the Army's Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, which is located in a Detroit suburb and manages the Army's supply chain for tanks. Prosecutors say he offered to help undercover law enforcement officers carry out the attack by training them to use firearms and make Molotov cocktails and by providing armor-piercing ammunitions and magazines for the attack. Said was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and with distributing information related to a destructive device.
